Rafa's New Skills

Rafa had another class Friday night. He is such a good boy. He has learned to sit, lay down, and 'leave it' (we put a treat on the floor and he won't go after it). The teacher said he is a very smart dog. He has picked up everything really fast except for the walking - he still wants to run to the very end of his leash and drag you along. I'm not sure where he is so anxious to go!

This weekend we have also been trying to keep him from biting and jumping all over us so we have a water bottle that we spray him with every time he starts acting up. He really doesn't like this and backs right off. He'll just continue to bark at you from a distance but won't come close. That works for me right now.

Last night we got out our remote control truck and he went crazy! He is so scared of that thing. When he finally got brave enough to jump down off the couch he ran upstairs and was hiding underneath the bed. Poor dog!

Not much else to report - our weekend was filled with laundry, running, tennis, and soccer. Oh - and chicken. I had to wrap, bag, and box all of that chicken. It took pretty much the entire day. We have estimated that we have about 90 chicken breasts in our freezer right now. Wow! I also made chicken salad (b/c we have a lot of freaking chicken). So good!

Do the Chicken Dance!

Last night, Lucas met me at the tennis courts when I was finishing up a 3-setter (that did not go my way, how sad). He complained that he was out of milk and cereal so (being the good wife that I am) I agreed to stop by Kroger on the way home and pick it up for him. He decided to tag along. Every time I am at Kroger I stop by the meat department because often there are some good sales to be had... but never in my life have I seen a sale like this. Lucas was the first to spot it and called me over. You won't believe what I'm about to tell you. Are you seated??? You better be!

Kroger had their boneless, skinless chicken breasts for.....

99 Cents per pound!!!!!!!

I swear to you, I felt like I won the lottery. Is that sad? So I racked up. How much did I get?


18 Packs!!! Each pack is about 2.5 pounds. That is about 45 pounds of chicken!

While I was running this morning I was having buyer's remorse - that I didn't get more! So, after my run I headed straight to Krogers and got the LAST 3 packages that were left! If you are counting, that is about 52 pounds of chicken for the low, low price of - you guessed it - $52!!!! Wow!

Yes, I am not going to share some with my parents and grandparents but I think we're set on chicken for a while! You know how they always tell you how much you have saved using your Kroger Plus Card??? The lady about fell out when she told me how much I saved - $170! Wow!

By the way, I called my mom and she rushed right over to her Kroger and there was no such sale. I'm guessing this was either an in-store special or a really big mess-up that I capitalized on! So don't go off rushing to Kroger now looking for 99 cent chicken. But when you are there - you better always go check out that meat department. You never know what deals you might find!

So if anyone wants to come over for dinner guess what we'll be serving?

**insert the funky chicken dance here**

Pollo Saltado

Lucas has been talking about making this for a while and he finally did last night. It is a Peruvian dish called Pollo Saltado. When he told me what it was I thought it sounded really weird. French fries and rice? But it was actually pretty good. I had to run to work for a little while yesterday and while I was gone Lucas fixed dinner. How sweet!

Here is the recipe I think he followed.

Here he is finishing up:
Look at that technique! All he needs is a 'Kiss the Cook' apron!

And here was our dinner.
I'm still not sure it looks too good here but it tasted good. It was nice to mix things up a little bit with a cultural recipe. I'm looking forward to going to Colombia and buying a cookbook with local recipes. Then I can cook Colombian for Lucas whenever he likes (though he may have to translate)!


Oh, and since Lucas cooked I had to clean the kitchen. Bummer! At least he doesn't use as many pots and pans as I do!

Pasta Makes Everything Better

We have the nicest couple living next to us. They travel a lot for a few days at a time and when they do we watch Kiwi, their little mini dachshund. Pat, the husband, had hip replacement surgery on Monday, putting their traveling to a halt for a little while. He was supposed to come home from the hospital today but was doing better than expected so went home yesterday.

I thought it would be nice to fix them dinner one night. So last night, I made lasagna (only the second time ever, first time wasn't a huge success). I hate cooking new things for other people to eat without prior testing but I always seem to do it. Oh, well. I made two lasagnas: one for them and one for us.

(Not a good photo. I want a fancy, shmancy camera.)

I didn't try any but Brandon came over later and was hungry so I tested it out on him. He said it was really good! I couldn't resist so I had a little slice myself. But we still have lots of lasagna left for dinner tonight and the next 3 nights I guess.

I am taking our neighbors their lasagna after work today. I hope they like it! And I hope Pat has a speedy recovery!

Want the recipe? I'm afraid it is too simple to reveal. Here ya go:
I cooked some ground beef with onions and seasoned with several different Italian spices then mixed in some regular old spaghetti sauce. Meanwhile, I boiled the lasagna noodles (put a little oil in the water to keep the noodles from sticking together). I mixed mozzarella and an Italian blend of cheeses together (couldn't find ricotta anywhere). Layer sauce, noodles, sauce, cheese, noodles, pasta sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Take off the aluminum foil, add another layer of cheese, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, and bake for another 10 minutes or so.

I know there are very fancy, elegant, gourmet recipes for lasagna but I like this simple, easy, and delicious recipe the best. No hassle cooking is much more fun!

Because I'm Craving Mexican Right Now....

I made these delicious nachos last week! I just put some foil in a pan, tossed in some chips, then sprinkled them with shredded cheese. I then topped with some ground beef and some onions, peppers, and tomatoes that I had cooked in the skillet for just a few minutes. Another layer of cheese and into the oven for just a few minutes and... VOILA! My homemade nachos fajitas! So good! I'm hoping for another Mexican date with my husband tonight. I usually get a special treat when he leaves me for work. Wednesday nights are buy one get one free entrees at Guadalajara, just across the main street from us! So we may even get a margarita!!

**Update: The husband isn't coming back tonight. Big surprise.

****Another Update: The husband is coming home but won't make it back for Mexican and margaritas. Oh, well. There's always next week.

Yumm!

Yesterday afternoon Lucas had his first soccer practice of the Fall season. While he was away I played in the kitchen! Mom had sent me a recipe last week for Sesame Chicken. I decided to surprise Lucas with a new dish for dinner. So here it is! Sesame chicken with terriyaki noodles and an eggroll. It was so good!

Mom's Sesame Chicken
"I took one pack of boneless chicken breast and cut up the chicken into small chunks. Next, you put it in an egg/milk wash for a few seconds and dust it in flour....then fry. (you could always do that part earlier or the day before if you were having company) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix equal parts (I used 3-4 tablespoons) of honey, ketchup, soy or terriyaki sauce, sesame oil. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional), tablespoon or two of sugar and a little salt and pepper. When the chicken is done, wipe out your skillet and put the chicken back in it. Add sauce, let it sit until warm. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds (found in spice section of grocery store) and serve." - Mom

Also, I made a big bowl of Lucas's favorite pasta salad. Guess what I'm having for lunch?!?

This one is easy. I just threw some red onions, green bell peppers, and cheese crumbles into some rotini and mixed with zesty Italian dressing. You can mix whatever you like though.

We also bought a watermelon from the nice farmer who sells fruits and vegetables at the end of our road. $5 for a fresh, homegrown watermelon. You can't beat that! (At least not until my dad's garden starts yielding some fresh, homegrown watermelons for free! Right dad?)

And, as a finale I made brownies last night. How awful of me!!